Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127, Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list. Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend and the other bad boy in her life....

Notorious Nineteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

After a slow summer of chasing low-level skips for her cousin Vinnie's bail bonds agency, Stephanie Plum finally lands an assignment that could put her checkbook back in the black. Geoffrey Cubbin, facing trial for embezzling millions from Trenton's premier assisted-living facility, has mysteriously vanished from the hospital after an emergency appendectomy. Now it's on Stephanie to track down the con man. Unfortunately, Cubbin has disappeared without a trace, a witness, or his money-hungry wife. Rumors are stirring that he must have had help with the daring escape...or that maybe he never made it out of his room alive.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Recipe for disaster: Celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle comes to Trenton to participate in a barbecue cook-off and loses his head - literally. Throw in some spice: Bail bonds office worker Lula is witness to the crime, and the only one she'll talk to is Trenton cop, Joe Morelli. Pump up the heat: Chipotle's sponsor is offering a million-dollar reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture of the killers.

Fearless Fourteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet. Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money, and did the time. His family couldn't be more proud. He always was the smart one. Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi, and Dom's sister, Loretta, are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. The all-American family.

Lean Mean Thirteen

From coast to coast and around the world, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels continue to make best-selling history each summer. In the 13th book in the series, the stakes are raised even higher as Stephanie Plum finds herself in her most dangerous, hilarious, hottest, chase yet.

Twelve Sharp

America's favorite bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, is back in her twelfth best seller and sure to win more fans than ever before. Trenton, New Jersey's premier troublemaker is once again struggling with her tangled love life, her chaotic family, and her gift for destroying every car she drives. Not to mention her attempts to bring in the sometimes scary bail jumpers of Trenton and the sudden appearance of a mysterious female stalker, who turns out to have a close connection to Ranger.

Top Secret Twenty-One: A Stephanie Plum Novel, Book 21

Trenton, New Jersey’s favorite used-car dealer, Jimmy Poletti, was caught selling a lot more than used cars out of his dealerships. Now he’s out on bail and has missed his date in court, and bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is looking to bring him in. Leads are quickly turning into dead ends, and all too frequently into dead bodies. Even Joe Morelli, the city’s hottest cop, is struggling to find a clue to the suspected killer’s whereabouts. These are desperate times, and they call for desperate measures.

Eleven on Top

Trouble seems to find Stephanie Plum no matter where she goes, and once again she's struggling with her tangled love life, her chaotic family, and her God-given gift for destroying every car she drives. This time, Stephanie has decided to quit her job as a bounty hunter. She wants something safe. She wants something normal. She's tired of creeps, weirdos, and stalkers. But just when she thinks she's out, they pull her back in!

Ten Big Ones

Take an exit off the Jersey Turnpike to the irresistible world of Stephanie Plum, America's favorite bounty hunter, where she gets into more trouble than ever. This time, she faces a notorious gang in Trenton who wants her dead. Morelli warns that she's in too deep, and Stephanie more than agrees.

To the Nines

Stephanie Plum may not be the best bounty hunter in beautiful downtown Trenton, but she's pretty darn good at turning bad situations her way...and she always gets her man. Her cousin Vinnie (who's also her boss) has posted bail on Samuel Singh, an illegal immigrant. When the elusive Mr. Singh goes missing, Stephanie is on the case. In a race against time that takes her from the Jersey Turnpike to the Vegas Strip, Stephanie Plum is on the chase of her life.

Hard Eight

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum, her mentor Ranger, and a host of other - ahem - interesting characters set out to find a missing 7-year-old girl. The search becomes a race among Stephanie's posse, the True Blue Bonds Agency, and the crew of one very scary man named Eddie Abruzzi. Did we mention there's also a killer rabbit on the loose? The world of Stephanie Plum has never been wilder!

Plum Lucky

Janet Evanovich is at it again! This time, Diesel makes an appearance just after Valentine's Day in order to turn Stephanie's world upside down. Filled with all the characters you know and love from the Burg, including Lula, Grandma Mazur, Connie, Ranger, Joe, Tank, Valerie, and Albert Kloughn, Plum Lucky is a can't-miss bestseller for Janet Evanovich's legion of fans.

Seven Up

All New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has to do is bring in semi-retired bail jumper Eddie DeChooch. For an old man he's still got a knack for slipping out of sight...and raising hell. How else can Stephanie explain the bullet-riddled corpse in Eddie's garden? Who else would have a clue as to why two of Stephanie's friends suddenly vanished? For answers Stephanie has the devil to pay: her mentor, Ranger. The deal? He'll give Stephanie all the help she needs...if she gives him everything he wants.

Plum Lovin'

Mysterious men have a way of showing up in Stephanie Plum's apartment. When the shadowy Diesel appears, he has a task for Stephanie - and he's not taking no for an answer. Annie Hart is a "relationship expert" who is wanted for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Stephanie needs to find her, fast. Diesel knows where she is. So they make a deal: he'll help her get Annie if Stephanie plays matchmaker to several of Annie's most difficult clients.

Plum Spooky

Evanovich fans rejoice! Stephanie Plum is back in town, along with her sidekick Lula, her Grandma Mazur, and an ever-widening cast of freaks, criminals, deranged felons, and lunatics looking for love. And just when Stephanie thinks her life can't get any more complicated, in walks the mysterious Diesel. A man who seems to show up at the most inconvenient moments.

Visions of Sugar Plums: A Stephanie Plum Holiday Novel

Spicier than gingerbread and nuttier than a fruitcake, the world of Plum has never been merrier! This Plum-crazy Christmas tale "is clearly a Christmas present from Evanovich to the legions of fans of Stephanie Plum," raves Booklist.

Publisher's Summary

Before Stephanie can even step foot off Flight 127, Hawaii to Newark, she’s knee deep in trouble. Her dream vacation turned into a nightmare, and she’s flying back to New Jersey solo. Worse still, her seatmate never returned to the plane after the L.A. layover. Now he’s dead, in a garbage can, waiting for curbside pickup. His killer could be anyone. And a ragtag collection of thugs and psychos, not to mention the FBI, are all looking for a photograph the dead man was supposed to be carrying.

Only one other person has seen the missing photo: Stephanie Plum. Now she’s the target, and she doesn’t intend to end up in a garbage can. With the help of an FBI sketch artist, Stephanie re-creates the person in the photo. Unfortunately, the first sketch turns out to look like Tom Cruise, and the second sketch like Ashton Kutcher. Until Stephanie can improve her descriptive skills, she’ll need to watch her back.

Over at the bail bonds agency, things are going from bad to worse. The bonds bus serving as Vinnie’s temporary HQ goes up in smoke. Stephanie’s wheelman, Lula, falls in love with their largest skip yet. Lifetime arch nemesis Joyce Barnhardt moves into Stephanie’s apartment. And everyone wants to know what happened in Hawaii.

Morelli, Trenton’s hottest cop, isn’t talking about Hawaii. Ranger, the man of mystery, isn’t talking about Hawaii. And all Stephanie is willing to say about her Hawaiian vacation is... it’s complicated.

After having given up on the series several books ago, I was persuaded to read #17 and thought that maybe things were back on track. Explosive Eighteen was a massive disappointment. After teasing the reader (for ages!) with hints about what happened in Hawaii, we get a brief (and unsatisfying) few lines to explain why the stagnant love triangle is still in place and then it's on to the rest of the convoluted storyline that seemed to drag on forever. In the past, even when I've been frustrated by the refusal to choose between Ranger & Joe, I've been able to appreciate the screwball comedy. This book lacked the laugh-out-loud moments that, for me, partially redeemed a few of the books beyond #9. In 18, I spent a lot of time feeling like I was waiting for a punchline that never arrived. Worse, still, is the fact that Joe & Ranger have been reduced to shadows of their former selves and neither one bears much resemblance to the alpha-types I knew and loved. They just seemed worn out and as tired of dealing with Stephanie as I am. I cannot for the life of me figure out what either man is supposed to find so irresistible about Stephanie that they would be willing to settle for whatever crumbs she's willing to give them. Even without being able to blame a "curse," Stephanie is still casually sleeping with both of them, willing to commit to neither of them and they just jump in and rescue her incompetent self over and over again. (IMO) It's not charming, it's not cute, it's not endearing and I spent most of the book being bored by the litany of junk food she consumes and wondering why she was so stupid that she allowed the same guy to steal her car over and over again.

Without totally giving away the ending, I will say that I thought it was a lame attempt to persuade readers that an actual choice might be in the making. I have made peace with the fact that as long as the books are selling, no choice will be made and the characters will continue to devolve until they just make an occasional appearance to yank her out of burning buildings with a "Babe!" or "Cupcake!" and not much else.

I don't think anyone expects literary genius from these books, but I sincerely miss the comedic spark, the genuinely funny situations, and the depth/heart that was present in the early books and lost along the way.

No, I would actually recommend the 15th in the series. First one I read and I almost wet my pants I was laughing so hard. I have purchased alot of her books hoping for a bit of a different twist but they are always the same. Wont buy anymore but I do love granny!

If you’ve listened to books by Janet Evanovich before, how does this one compare?

More of the same.

Have you listened to any of Lorelei King’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Lorelei King is a terrific narrator- captures tones of books she reads. She is very good at the Evanovich ones.

Do you think Explosive Eighteen needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, not unless Stephanie makes up her mind about Moreley or Ranger- this triangle has gone on too long- OR introduce another guy that sweeps her off her feet.

Any additional comments?

Obviously she is a very popular author and if people want to read the same story over and over I say Go For it!

Please don't waist your money or your credit on Explosive Eighteen. The cliff hanger and tickler gave me great hope for this installment; however, who ever wrote this book, did not know about the cliff-hnager. What happened in Hawaii took maybe 5 sentences.

Explosive Eighteen closes the casket on Stephine Plum in such a way that evey Grandma Mazur wouldn't care to look.

I love all the Stephanie Plum books. The earlier ones were better, but once a fan, always a fan. Lula, Ranger, Grandma Mazur, Stephanie, Connie, they're all there and Lorelei King does an ever amazing job. If I were to read these books, I would hear her interpretation of the characters and be forever happy about that. She has amazing range for her characterizations. If I weren't such an avid fan, I don't know that I would give it four stars overall. So if you are a fan, enjoy. BTW, you can not start here if you have never read Stephanie Plum book. You HAVE to start at number one and work your way up.

I love this series...I started reading it 20+ yrs ago....and some have been better than others...what irks me is that the books seem to be getting shorter and shorter....all in all a good laugh with the characters we've come to love...

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